The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-06-17
Especial COrespondence.

Especial CorresE,on,iencel
MILWAUKEE. June &.
1t will be news to the general reader
:" learn that the sole male survivor
| the massacre which followed the fall
OF the Alamo is now an inmate OF the
National Home fo1. Disabled Veterans near
this city. Accounts of the massacre state
that one wanan, a servant and one child
we're all who escaped
his child, now a man of sixty, is Capt
Wm james Cannon, Or as he is more famil-
iarly known all over the western states
"Uncle Jimmy" Cannon, guide interpreter
and Indian scout. The old man bears on his
person marks of sixteen wounds received at
different times. He is now suffering from q
severe bullet wound in the leg, received last
year while down with Gen. Miles hunting
Geronimo.
He is slightly under six feet in height,
stoutly built with pleasant face framed in
by mass of snow white hair He recalls
dates and places with the accuracy of an ency-
clopeda. He has with him bit of the wall
of the Alamo in front of which lie buried his
mother, two sisters and brother, while OH
the hill not far away lies the body of
his father, all victims of the fury of the
Mexicans.
to the writer: II can remember the scenes
connected with the fall of the Alamo dis
tinctly. 1 was boy of at the time
had been given by my parents to Mexican
woman 10 be taken care of. When the Mexi-
cans came this woman sat holding Col
James Bowies head i'll her lap. l was sitting
by her side. After the others had been
killed Mexican soldier came into the room,
put his gun to Bowies forehead and fired.
The blood and brains scattered all over the
room and some went into my face. As soon
as Bowie was killed the Mexican woman took
me and hid u1e i'll an old cstern She and
and Mrs Dickinson, who was taken out be-
fore the massacre, were the only survivors of
that fearful day. After the Mexicans left /
was taken up out of the cistern and given to
a gentleman, who was to take me to rela-
tives. When two Gays out we were attacked
by Comanches and was taken captive.
"The next eight years I passed among the
western Indians, being traded from one tribe
to another. l learned sixteen different
languages and was able to converse, and am
now. with thirty different tribes"
"Uncle Jimmy" commenced his career, after
escaping from the Indians, by taking part in
what he styles, with grim humor, the "bean
pulling expedition" of Col. Donahue. Just
previous to the breaking out Of the Mexican
war that officer collected together a company
of what would have been known twenty years
later as 'bushwhackers," !" and started down to
the Mexican border on raid. To this troop
Young Cannon joined himself. The company,
after being out few days, were surrounded
and all killed but forty-five, in which number
were Cannon and the Mexican bali breed
guide tThe next morning." said Uncle
Jimmy, "a lieutenant carrying all arroyo
jug, followed by a man with a blanket,
came over to where we were. The
Jug was filled with black and white beans
This was placed on the ground near us and
the blanket laid a few feet away. Then we
were blndfolded and hand loosened.
This we put in the jug and pulled out bean.
We were marched over to the blanket where
the bean was dropped, then the hand was
tied back again and the bandage taken off.
In front on the blanket was the bean. If
black it meant DEATH and the poor wretch
who drew it was marched off to one side. II
the bean was white he was taken to the other
side. In that way fifteen of our fellows were
selected to be shot. and shot they were at
once. The corpses were stripped and rolled
into a bayon near by. The thirty lucky ones
were paroled and after they had stripped US
OF everything they took fancy to, our cap
tors allowed us to leave. / knew they did
not mean to let us go clear, but were just
playing with us as cat with a mouse. So
when we came to place where the grass was
about waist high the guide and dropped
down and wormed our way off to one side.
The others went ON and in less than half an
hour in our hiding place we heard volleys of
m,sketry. We knew it must come from the
Mexicans, as our men had no guns. In few
minutes the firing ceased and all was still.
Every one Of the twenty-eight men had been
killed. The guide and waited until dark
and then made for an Indian tribe in that
vicinity, with whom we remained until we
could get back to our friends When the
Mexican war broke out enlisted in the first
company formed. Capt McClcskey's, and
served through the war"
After the war closed "Uncle Jimmy" ell
tered upon his career as guide and interpre-
ter, in which capacity he found employment
up to a year ago. s-
During his time the old man has been the
means of rescuing nine women and children
from Indian captivity.
The rescue of Miss Brand in 1870, and
that earlier of Miss Mortimer. were made
under circumstances which lent to them the
exciting interest of the best of Capt. Mayne
Reid's stories. The graphic story of these
deeds of daring is told very modestly by the
old man as follows: "Miss Mortimer was capt
ured one day near place called Kane Hal.
Ark, by the Kiowas Size was held by them
three or four weeks when l succeeded in re-
leasing her near where Pueblo now stands.
came up to the tribe one evening just as the
squaws were preparing to burn the girl Albion,
the chiefs son, wanted to marry her This made
the sauaws mad So they took Miss Mortimer
and tied her to q small tree about 300 or 400 hun
dred yards from the tepees. When came up
with the camp the girl was standing tied to
small tree not bigger around than stoveppe.
Around the tree was piled big heap OF brush
ready for lighting. The squaws were dancing
around her in a circle as they always do. Lach
one carried q torch, which she waved ss She
danc.a around the circle. 1t was mighty lard
looking sight. In the circle stood Albion Be
tween me and the tree narrow mounta ain
stream, 1t was about waist deep. but swift. ! /
mad come to rescue the girl, and was
bound to do so or stay there with her
So I tied my revolver and ammunition about
NV neck, and holding my rifle above my
head started across. 1t was so dark none OF the
Indians could see me, ana the roar of the stream
ypos enough to drown the sound Of my move
p,.s,its Besides. they never expected anyone was
an their trail When reached the other side
drew bead three times on Albion The frst t"o
times could not get good aim. Ihe thira ti.he
fred and he dropped: never knew what Killed
shim. ASH expected, the squaws started for the
te,ees as did the Indians near, to, get tnelr
weapons I rushed up 10 the tree, cut the gTi
loose and as did so said: Run, girl with m.
Without hesitating. she obeyed orders and we
ran and jumped into the river. Luckily Tor u.s.
the Indians thought the attack was from another
tribe and took q direction opposite to ours I
took Miss Mortimer to Col Bents trading posi-
and left her. The last heard OF her she was sun
alive and living near Bestonville, Ark.
aAbout Miss Brandt Well, she and her brother
started out of Fort Laramie one day IN
1870 70 20 fishing. When about MI.
from the fort the outfit was ]umpeo
by a band of Biule Sioux. The boy was kiiied
ana the girl. then about l5 years old, was tax.
prisoner. A wood party from the fort discoS
cred the remains of the wag on, Wnicn ue IL
dians had burned, and gave the alarm. zen.
Tevnolds was in command OF the fort ana ne lii.H
madiately started in pursuit with troop OF cay
airy I went with Aim as guide We expect
" come M with the Indians on the Kawhiue' "
so,,nd thew had taken water there and gone ris"
-, = foIlowed the trail and located them SIX oi
siyht miles further up. rode back ana toiu
Cen. Reynolds that II he would hold Ihr
,roons where they were for me TO fall BACK on
thonght / could get the girl He agreed 70 my
man and leaving the soldiers rode on aheaa,
when Il was dark. worked my way up until
only = little hill was between me and the norse
herd. Then picketed my pom ana sleps 80. I'M.